Home basements commonly include perimeter drains that funnel water toward a water collecting sump. A sump pump removes water that has accumulated in the sump and discharges the water away from the home. Since the perimeter drains funnel water toward the sump, the sump may overflow if the sump pump is non-operational or otherwise unable to discharge water from the sump faster than the flow of water into the sump.
The sump pump is typically powered by the main AC (alternating current) electrical system of the home, which may present an issue during a prolonged power outage since the sump pump would be unable to discharge water collected in the sump. Due to the possibility of a power outage, many sump pump systems include a backup pump that is powered by a DC (direct current) battery. In such systems, the backup pump may continue to discharge water from the sump during power outages and potentially prevent costly water damage resulting from a sump overflow.
During heavy storms water may be delivered to the sump at a rate faster than the main pump is capable discharging. The backup pump may be configured to aid the main pump in such situations. In particular, the backup pump may have a float or other sensor that triggers operation of the backup pump when the water level exceeds a normal operating level. In such situations, both the main pump and backup pump may simultaneously discharge water from the sump at a combined rate greater than either pump acting alone.
Thus, proper operation of the sump pump system is crucial to maintaining a dry basement and avoiding costly water damage. In light of this, various warning systems and alarms have been created that sound an audible alarm when a malfunction or possible flooding condition is detected. Existing warning systems provide some additional protection against flooding. However, limitations and disadvantages of such conventional and traditional approaches should become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application.